Everybody Eats in Te Komititanga

31 March 2025

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More than 700 people share climate-friendly community meal in the heart of Auckland.

A free climate-friendly community meal in the heart of Auckland city attracted more than 700 people from all walks of life to enjoy a gourmet lunch.

The community meal in Te Komititanga was held on Saturday 22 March in the public space outside Waitematā (Britomart) station, served around 100 happy diners at a time.

Meals were made using partly rescued food, thanks to the generosity of KiwiHarvest Food Rescue, reinforcing the importance of reducing food waste while providing delicious, nourishing dishes.

The meal was made possible with the support of Auckland Council Whānau and the city centre targeted rate, and brought to life by Everybody Eats, KiwiHarvest Food Rescue and Interesting Things.

“Being in Te Komititanga was a reminder of the rich diversity of our community and how people of all ages and backgrounds have so much in common, especially when it comes to connecting over a shared meal.
Everybody Eats General Manager
Amy Tew

“Aucklanders have once again shown their generosity and community spirit by turning out in their hundreds to be part of this really special climate friendly community meal,” Everybody Eats General Manager Amy Tew said.

“Our team and volunteers served more than 700 people from all walks of life, with many paying-it-forward to provide more meals for people in need at our restaurants.

“It was incredible to bring our restaurant concept to the heart of the city, serving beautiful plated meals that brought people together.

“Being in Te Komititanga was a reminder of the rich diversity of our community and how people of all ages and backgrounds have so much in common, especially when it comes to connecting over a shared meal.

“Food waste and food insecurity shouldn’t exist side by side. This activation was about tackling both issues at once – proving that good food should be eaten, not wasted, and that everyone deserves a seat at the table”, Amy said.

Diners were delighted by the experience with many commenting how pleased they were to see so many diverse people come together and connect over a meal.

“The food was delicious, the taste, the texture, and the presentation were all top quality and the music was great!”

Everybody Eats, founded in 2017, is a not-for-profit, pay-what-you-can social dining concept. Their vibrant charity restaurants in Auckland and Wellington use surplus and rescued food that would otherwise go to waste and turn it into high quality meals, served to diners from all walks of life, by volunteers.

Everybody Eats operates three restaurants, two in Auckland – Onehunga and Glen Innes – and the other in Te Aro, Wellington, open for walk-ins and bookings 4-5 nights a week.

Over one-third of the food produced globally does not get eaten. In New Zealand, much of the wasted food ends up in landfills, where it breaks down without oxygen and releases harmful greenhouse gases like methane that contribute to global warming.

At the same time, it is estimated that globally more than two billion people are going hungry. In New Zealand around one in six Kiwis run out of money for food, meaning we have one of the worst food poverty problems in the developed world.

You can see video of the Everybody Eats in Te Komititanga event below.

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